BOMBAY, 28 May 2004 — India has come a long way from an apology of a new-ball attack to a formation of a pace bank that can be the envy of any team in the world. A national side that had relied on spin. So heavily and for so long, and had world-class spinners to boast, is in a position today to relish pace bowling as its staple diet in international cricket.
Just about three decades or so ago, India made a mockery of the opening attack when the likes of Nawab of Pataudi Jr, Budhi Kunderan (when he was not keeping wickets), Ajit Wadekar and even Sunil Gavaskar were made to open the attack, before the spinners quickly came on. Sometimes even this formality was dropped and unorthodox leg-spinner Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and master off-spinner Erapalli Prasanna straight away opened the attack.
The coming on the scene of an outstanding all-rounder like Kapil Dev, essentially a new-ball bowler, and the others round him changed all that. Even then if India had to win matches, the spinners had to perform well. The problems began to surface when the spinners either fell victims to injuries or lost their form. It was then that India was labeled as a team of great batting potential but with a bowling attack that was probably the weakest in the world. Then the products of the famous pace foundation began to roll and Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad brought in their wake several young bowlers, who themselves became challengers to the pace bowling slots in the team. The profusion of pace bowlers led to the balance of the team being altered to yield just one measly place for spin in the playing eleven.
In just the last 12 months, young pacers of exceptional talent have emerged. This department indeed got overcrowded. Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Irfan Pathan and Laxmipathi Balaji can now command a place in the team on their own merit. In fact the competition is so fierce that Ajit Agarkar and Zaheer himself cannot take their places for granted. They are being challenged strongly. They showed this in Australia and again in Pakistan, where India could win matches without even Zaheer and Agarkar in the side.
Irfan and Balaji have certainly come to stay. To join them now is a new sensation going by the name of Munaf Patel who made his debut in first class cricket in quite a controversial manner.
Munaf, a resident of Ahmedabad in Gujarat, was noticed by some cricketers from Bombay when he played a couple of local matches. Articles appeared in newspapers that a bowler who could probably be the fastest in the country, was just hanging around with no one really to recognize him. The Gujarat Association then had a look at him and although impressed by his bowling, did not register him to play in the national championship for the Ranji Trophy.
Meanwhile, Munaf, who had realized that a better future awaited him in Bombay, stayed put in the metropolis. Gujarat made a claim for him and hurriedly registered him. The Bombay Association too staked a claim and a veritable tug-of-war ensued over a player who had not played a single first-class match. In the end, the more influential Bombay officials prevailed and Munaf Patel got his opportunity to play.
Munaf is indeed the fastest bowler in India at the moment. What is more important is that he has made a sensational debut, capturing 35 wickets in ten matches that he has played for Bombay. Munaf observes great discipline in his bowling and for one so fast, he is very accurate. Today when India’s fast bowlers have a poor record of fitness, what with Zaheer, Nehra, Agarkar, dropping out often with strains or injuries, Munaf has not had a single break down in the last six months of continuous cricket he has played on surfaces around the country that cannot be classified as being the best.
Munaf Patel is among the six pace bowlers who have been included in a list of 26 probables drawn up for the July training camp at Bangalore. With Irfan and Balaji already making waves, and the likes of Zaheer, Nehra and Agarkar fighting injuries to be at their fittest, there surely is going to be huge headache for the Indian national selectors in the coming months.
If Munaf makes the national team, he will add a new variety to India’s pace attack. He is quick off the pitch and has the ability to move the ball both ways. But unlike others, he bowls round-arm in the manner of England’s celebrated fast bowler, John Snow.
